Iran freezes university services for students without hijab

Universities in Iran are to bar female students who refuse to wear the hijab from education services, officials have said.

The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology said all universities and higher education centres under its supervision will be able to bar female students who do not wear a hijab from educational and welfare services, according to a statement carried by the judiciary's Mizan news agency.

An education official from the Ministry of Health said medical schools "are prohibited from providing any services to students without the Islamic hijab".

The move comes as the Iranian government signals stricter enforcement of hijab laws after months of nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, 21, the custody of the morality police last September.

She had been detained in Tehran three days earlier for wearing her hijab "improperly". The death of Ms Amini death sparked public fury and demonstrations across the country. Women burnt headscarves and called for regime change.

A spate of poisonings — suspected to be gas attacks — have been reported at girls' schools across Iran since November. Human rights groups and activists claimed the government was behind the attacks, while Tehran has blamed protesters.